The One and Only Kiss
by Bree In Diamonds
Summary: Leo is ignored by Piper after Prue's death and starts to feel alone. His silent cry for attention rings the ears of someone none other than Paige Matthews


D/C: I do not own Charmed or any of it's components. Wishful thinking.

I am a huge supporter of the Leo/Piper coupling, but is it just me, or does Paige seem to look at Leo in a romanic sort of way? Well, here's a little something on her love for him. Reviews are welcome! Thanks )

Leo Wyatt said his goodbyes to his wife, announcing the Elders needed to see him. Piper put every ounce of faith in her husband and knew for a fact that's just where he had been going every morning for the past week…and she was right…or at least half right. Leo had business with the Elders, but never rushed home afterwards and was gone for the whole day. Piper never doubted him when he said he was up there all day. She understood there were going to be absences when she agreed to be his wife. Leo was a highly respected Whitelighter and never stuck around for more than five minutes it seemed.

But Piper wasn't being told the entire truth. Leo would come home to eat, then go right back out again. Piper was alert when he stopped kissing her before his departures every morning, noon, and night. She didn't want to think their marriage was falling apart. She knew for a fact it wasn't her end. She loved Leo more than life itself. Piper hoped it wasn't her that he was displeased with. Of course, being the person Piper was, she was afraid to approach him with such questions. Things flew her mind, such as, "he will be angry if I bring it up" or him saying, "she doesn't trust me", but there was one thing she feared the most, and that was Leo telling her the truth.

Leo held her hand as they walked through a beautiful garden together. It was casual. Or at least that's what they had thought. Nothing happened yet, for Leo was still deeply in love with Piper, but felt in his heart the same exact thing she felt: them drifting apart. She was too involved with Prue's death to do anything fun and exciting anymore. When Leo met Piper, he was reminded of how wonderful love was. She taught him everything he seemed to have forgotten over the years, but ever since Prue died, Piper wasn't the same. And either was Phoebe. Leo tried his hardest to try and cope with Piper's constant weeping and depression swings, but it wasn't working for him. He would always love his wife, but he needed more. He needed someone who would be there for him and love him. He needed someone who wasn't affected by Prue's death…someone like Paige Matthews.

Leo was still in the process of teaching Paige how to be a successful Whitelighter and telling her all she needed to know. What he didn't know right away, that somewhere in the past month since she had been in the Halliwell's lives, she had fallen for him. He took some getting used to, but he never gave up on her, and to Paige, any man who went through the amount of trouble for someone had to be the one. She didn't know Piper well enough to care if Leo was taken. In just the last few weeks alone, Leo and Paige spent more time together than Piper and Leo, off and on duty. Leo tried to spend time with Piper, but her emotional side turned him away. Seemed the only one who could relate to Prue's death was Phoebe and the two started becoming inseparable, turning everyone else away. That's when Leo saw something in their half sister and started giving her all his attention. Their relationship so far was based on nothing stronger than friendship. Holding hands and hugging was their maximum. The more Leo spent with Paige, the more he wondered what she felt about him.

"This place is beautiful," Paige said, sitting on a large rock beside Leo.

They faced a striking waterfall, trees, birds chirping, flowers blooming, and not a cloud in the sky to ruin the perfect moment. Leo's hand moved from her hand to her arm, wrapping his own around hers. Paige sighed in relaxation. She's had many boyfriends before, but Leo was special. She felt it was important to have someone who had things in common with her. No one else she knew was a Whitelighter and that took precedence over all other qualities.

Paige didn't just love Leo because of his abilities. None of the two remaining Halliwell sisters managed to give any signs that Paige Matthews really existed. No one wanted to help her with her powers, but most of all, they didn't want to accept the fact that Prue was gone and to accept Paige, they would have to do so.

"It is, yes," Leo agreed, using his other hand to cover Paige's hand that lay on her upper thigh. Both of them sighed tranquilly, wishing life could be this peaceful.

"Do you know that Piper and Phoebe asked me to move in?" Paige asked, resting her head on Leo's shoulder.

"I've heard Piper talk about that once or twice. She didn't like the idea, but—"

"—figured I'd be most useful under their roof than my own. Yes, I know."

They both chuckled. Paige closed her eyes with a sigh, never removing her head from his shoulder.

"I still don't know if I should."

"Well…why not? You'd be closer to them if they needed the power of three. You won't have to be in a bad part of town, or have to pay rent."

Paige nodded. "That's true."

Neither of them spoke for quite some time and remained in one another's embrace, smiling and looking at the serene sight ahead of them. This was a place where nothing happened. Leo had told her that no other human being had walked on these grounds before her. It was a magical place where other Whitelighters and good-natured spirits came to wander. During their short time there, sparkling objects that looked like large shooting stars occasionally zipped through the clear blue sky.

"The calm air gives them guidance and hope," Leo explained to her as if he was reading her mind. "They flourish here until they're ready to move on."

"Did you come here when you…died?"

"I did, yes. I was confused at first, even after being here. I didn't understand my destiny. It took me quite some time to realize what to do after I was given a second chance at life."

That sounded like a fairy tale out of a book and it made Paige feel like the princess. Her whole life, not even in her wildest dreams did she think that she would amount to anything but a normal, every day person, working to support rent on an apartment that was two months late and credit card debts.

Piper and Phoebe were okay, but it was Leo Paige felt she had more connection with. Being in his arms gave her the most secure feeling. It was hard for her to describe. Every time she was with him, her heart seemed to skip a beat, even if it was just a casual embrace. Her world had gotten much larger and was very proud to have the gift that she had. If she wasn't given this special destiny, she would never have met Leo. They've known each other for no longer than two weeks at the max, but the moment Paige started doubting herself and her powers, Leo was there. He was there to try and make her see what she had. He wouldn't give up on her. Piper and Phoebe were too stuck on Prue's death to try and help Paige accomplish anything. As far as Paige was concerned, Piper still hated her and Phoebe wanted nothing to do with her. They didn't even want her under the same roof as them. Paige would feel more wanted under the roof of her tiny apartment, accompanied by her boyfriend, or even a total stranger for that matter.

With Leo, things were different. He belonged to Piper, but that didn't make Paige want to stop. Any guy that made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside every time he touched her, she knew had to be the one. Shane and all her previous boyfriends didn't give her the feel, despite her being with them for long periods of time. Whoever said there was such thing as love at first sight was definitely right. All Leo had to do one day was hold her hand to make her go weak at the knees.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked her when she hadn't spoken for a long while.

Paige didn't even realize she became totally mute until now. Something inside her made her want to scream her feelings for Leo, and she really didn't know Piper well enough to stop herself. As far as she was concerned, Leo was here with her now, not Piper. If there was really more to this spending time together, she wanted to know about it. Paige didn't want this to be a one-sided love and by the way Leo was holding her hand and embracing her closely, she hoped there was more. The problem was, she couldn't bring herself to form the question right. She played it over and over again in her mind, but it just didn't seem well thought of. Unfortunately, her pondering alerted Leo into thinking something was wrong. Her facial expressions gave it away immediately.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "Do you want to go back?"

Paige wanted nothing more to do with reality. She could stay up here forever with Leo and be happy the rest of her life. Whatever life she had "down there" didn't make her as happy as this one.

"No. I never want to go back."

That brought a smile to Leo's face. "You have to go back eventually, Paige."

Paige let her heart do the thinking now. After staring back into Leo's green gems, she had no choice but to let it act on its own. Not wasting another second, she lifted her head up and met Leo's lips with her own. The only thing that went through her mind was how much she wanted his touch. A part of her didn't care what Piper would think. In spite of Piper's undying love and devotion to Leo, somewhere in the past few weeks after Prue's death, they were drawing further and further apart from one another. And that's where Paige steps in. However, Leo was caught completely off guard and involuntarily pulled back. Paige immediately recognized his actions and reality came back to her. She had kissed Leo, her half sister's husband and Whitelighter to the clan. If Piper could see them right now, she would never in her life want anything more to do with Paige.

"Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry," Paige defended, covering her face with shame. "That was wrong of me. I don't know what happened."

She didn't regret what she did, but it caught her off guard just as much as it did with Leo. She had dreamt about this just about every night since she first saw him and the dreams continued even after Leo physically showed he would never leave Piper. The two loved one another, but that never stopped Paige's hopes and crushes on their Whitelighter.

"Paige…it's okay," he said in a calm voice, placing his hand over her shoulder.

"Sometimes I get too carried away and m-my body just takes over…"

"You don't need to explain. I understand."

Paige finally got the courage to look into his eyes once more. Instead of seeing anger and disgust in his eyes, she saw his usual peaceful, gentle stare, raising her spirits yet again.

"You're a very special person, Paige. I know it may feel like I've been leading you on, but—"

"I know, you have Piper," Paige murmured, lowering her head sadly.

Leo took her hand and rubbed his thumb gently across the surface.

"I don't understand," she said, voice breaking, watching his hand wrapped around hers. "You want someone who will give you all the attention you need. Sorry, but Piper treats you like total shit. She acts like you don't exist and I'm tired of watching her push you away from her life."

"She's got her own problems, Paige, and I'm trying to help her cope with them. She just lost her older sister and found out you were the result of an affair her mom had with her Whitelighter. It's hard for her and it's only natural she wants to have time alone with Phoebe and sort this mess out. I accept it."

"But I see your face, Leo. I felt your touch. You want something more. The Piper I used to know from P3 is not coming back. At least not as the Piper you once knew and loved."

Leo sighed and folded his hands. At the same time, a half a dozen spirits flew like shooting stars through the sky, as if to break the depressing mood that thickly settled in the air. It worked. Paige growled and covered her face again. Just what was she trying to do? Her goal in life wasn't trying to split her half sister up with her husband and it wasn't fair to Leo that she was doing it.

"I'm sorry. Just forget it. Forget I even said anything."

Paige went to get up, but Leo stopped her with nothing short of his voice. Paige did what he told her, and that was to sit back down the rest of the way. He prepared to tell her all that was in his heart.

"Paige…" he began, facing her.

"Leo…"

"Like I said, you are very special and I want you to know that if I wasn't with Piper…I would be with you. But the way I feel shouldn't affect our friendship. I'm still your guys' Whitelighter and will help out whenever you need me. I love Piper…and that's not going to change. I will help her get through these tough times and I would really like your help."

A smile formed on Paige's face. "What can I do?"

"Start by accepting the girls' offer to move in. That would really start setting Piper on the right path. If you won't do it for her sake, do it for mine."

It hurt Paige to take that kind of a request from him, but because it was for Leo, she agreed. She would help Piper along through her hard times.

It was time to go back. It was a heartbreaking moment, but Paige would always remember the one and only kiss. Leo took her hand and orbed back to the Halliwell household's living room, startling Piper who was casually walking from room to room, keeping herself busy with little projects around the house. Upon seeing Leo and Paige by surprise, she dropped a stack of papers out of her hand and tried to freeze them before they hit the ground, but she was too late.

"I don't even have good reflexes anymore!" she said, bending over to pick up the papers.

"Uh…honey…Paige wishes to tell you something."

Piper straightened herself up after picking up the papers and waited for Paige to say whatever it was she was going to say. Paige was clueless at first, but after remembering what they were talking about "up there", a smile came to her face. She announced she would be moving in with them and for the first time in days, Piper grinned. It wasn't a full grin, but it was a nice change to her usual facial expressions that were seen as of late. Piper was still dodgy about the idea, but after talking it over with Phoebe, it would be most convenient.

Paige watched as Piper took Leo's hand and rested her head against his arm with a sigh, announcing what a hard day she's had. Paige was wrong. What Piper and Leo had really was true love that couldn't be tampered with and with a smile of her own, she realized that she too had a Leo out there to discover.

In passing by the two hugging lovebirds, Paige prepared to leave them alone for the time being and occupy herself elsewhere. It wasn't until Leo stopped her in her tracks and thanked her for everything that she truly knew she was home.


End file.
